Patrick Henry Warns of a “Great and Mighty Empire”
By: TJ Martinell On June 5, 1788, Patrick Henry gave a speech at the Virginia Ratifying Convention warning that “consolidation” – centralizing of power – would turn the United States into a dangerous ...
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Patrick Henry’s Lesson on the Need for a Bill of Rights
By: TJ Martinell On June 12, 1788, Patrick Henry spoke during the Virginia Ratifying Convention, reiterating the need for a Bill of Rights in the proposed U.S. Constitution before its adoption. ...
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Today in History: New York Ratifies the Constitution
By: Mike Maharrey On this date in 1788, New York became the 11th state to ratify the Constitution. The Constitution narrowly won approval by a 30-27 vote on July 26, 1788, ...
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The First Salvo in the Ratification Debates: James Wilson’s State House Speech
By: Bob Fiedler While most people today think of the Federalist Papers as the leading defense of the Constitution’s original meaning, it was actually a speech by James Wilson that had a far ...
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Patrick Henry Demands a Bill of Rights
By: TJ Martinell On June 7, 1788, Patrick Henry delivered one of many long speeches at the Virginia Ratifying Convention, demanding the inclusion of a Bill of Rights in the proposed U.S. Constitution ...
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The Struggle for Ratification: Advocates and Opponents Debate Judicial Review (Part 1)
By: Bob Fiedler One of the most striking and unique and hotly debated aspects of the American system of government is judicial review. Where precisely does this doctrine arise from? Technically, ...
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Despite What They Tell You: The Constitution Never Discriminated Against Women
By: Rob Natelson One way some writers try to discredit the Constitution is to assert that the document’s original meaning discriminated against women. Thus, a 2011 Time Magazine cover story claimed that “The [Constitution’s] ...
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